Method of charging accumulators.



No. 697,192. Patented Apr. 8, I902.

R. E. BALL.

METHOD OF CHARGING ACCUMULATORS.

(Application filed July 1, 1901.:

(No Model.) 2 Shaets-Sheet I.

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19 M/GHL R LEG/19 DGB A B CD J7 WW 5 l Royal E. Ball EPS c6. PHOTGLITHCL. WASHINGTON o c N0. 697,|92. v Patented Apr. 8, I902. R. E. BALL.

METHOD OF CHARGING AGCUMULATURS.

(Application filed July 1, 1901.: (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NITED STATES ROYAL EDWARD BALL, OF NEVJ YORK, N.

Parana? @FFIQK METHOD OF CHARGING AGCUMULATORS.

S'PEGIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 697,192, dated Apri18, 1902.

Application filed July 1, 1901' Serial No. 66,640. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROYAL EDWARD BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Charging Accumulators, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates more particularly to a method of charging accumulators by means of alternatingcurrent; and it consists in part in varying the resistance of the accumulator to be charged with the variations in electromotive force of the charging-current. This I may accomplish by suitably varying the number of cells in circuit with the variations in tension of the charging-current. For the purpose of so varying the number of cells in circuit automatically andin suitable proportion I have invented the apparatus described below in connection with the description of my method. This apparatus forms the subject of another application for patent filed by me of even date with this one.

The object of my invention is to impart to the units or cells composing an accumulator or storage battery, by means of alternating or pulsating currents, a substantially uniform charge.

In the drawings, in which like characters of reference refer to similar parts in the different views,-Figure 1 is a side view of an apparatus suitable for carrying out my method. Fig. 2 is a diagram which will be found usefulin explaining my method. Fig. 3 is a diagram of a peculiar form of commutator forming part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. i is a diagram of a modification of the commutator shown in diagram in Fig. 3.

In carrying out my process 1 com mutate the cells of the storage battery by a peculiar commutator, so that the number of cells in circuit is at an 1 period in direct proportion to the electromotive force of the wave of alternating-current supply. Thus, for example,

while the electromotive force of the chargingalternating-current wave is less than two volts, and when if any of the battery units points thereof.

were in circuit they would tend to discharge themselves through the circuit instead of be ing charged by the current flowing therein, none of the cells are in circuit. Then the charging-current attains between two and five volts, one cell is in circuit, when between five and eight volts are attained two cells are in circuit, when between eight and eleven volts are attained three cells are in circuit, and so on progressively upward to the crest of the alternating wave, whence the number of cells in circuit is progressively reduced in proportion to the now-falling electromotive force until the point of no electromotive force is reached, when, by a reversal of connections, the progressive cutting in and out of coils is repeated on the negative wave of current.

It will be noticed from the above that I recommend a charging electromotive force per cell somewhat higher than it is customary to use in constant-electromotive-force practice. The reason for this is, as will be understood later, that by my method each of the cells that constitute the battery is in circuit but one-half of the time, and therefore can receive during such period a rate of charge higher than is customarily employed.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, is a base at one end of which is situated the standard 11, from which projects horizontally the stud 12, having upon it the sleeve 13, preferably composed of insulating material and carrying a handle 14 for purposes of adjustment. This sleeve 13 carries an ordinary reversing-commutator composed of the conducting-segments 15 and 16, separated electrically from each other by diametrically opposite insulating-segments 17. Upon this insulatingsleeve 18 is also carried a second commutator 18, of a peculiar construction, to be hereinafter described. This commutator 18 is divided into two main portions by the insulating-segments 1.), placed at diametrically opposite The opposite end of the base 10 carries upon a standard 20 a synchronous motor 21 of any ordinary construction. Upon the collecting-rings 22, situated upon the shaft of this motor, bear brushes 23, to which are attached the secondary mains 24E of an alternating-cu rent circuit which includes a transformer 25, the primary mains of which are shown at 26. From the collecting-rings 22 lead the conductors 28, which pass through horizontal arms 31 and 32, carried at opposite extremities of arms 30, keyed upon the opposite end of the motor-shaft to that upon which the contact-rings 22 are situated. The arms 32 and 31 carry, respectively, brushes 33 and 34, which bear upon thecommutatortater, The brush 33 is adapted to bear upon thesegmental ends of these bars, and the brush- 34is-adapted to bear upon theseginen-ts-15 and 16 of the reversing-commutator. As shown, eachofi the bars in one set ofi bars, composing a part of the commutator 18fis cross-copnected to a bar in the other set Thus A isconnected with G by-meaus otzthre conductor45, B with Hiby the conductor46', C with L by the conductor 47, andD with: R by the conductor 48. connections are for the purpose o-fisimplify. in gtheapparatus and obviatingth-elnecessity ofconnecting each half of the commutatorby separate conductors with the accumulator, as

will be understood fromthe following-descriptiQn:

MN 0 P Qare cells composing the units of astorage: battery or accumulator. M-chflS-ODG of its elements connected bymeans ofi a conductor 36'to thesegment 1610f thereversing-com mutator, an d'the cell Qhas one of its elements connected by means-of a-condoctorv 37 with thesegment 15 of= the reversing-commutator. The remainingelements of the cellsl M: and'Q. and the elements -.-of the c61-1S;-'N., O, and P are connected in series-in the-{usual manner, and each couple so:con-- nectedin series is electrically connected by meatnstof one of the wires 38, 39, 40, and 41 witlr-one of' the bars A B O D composing a partof thercommutator 18.

' Thezo-peration of this apparatusincarryi ng out mymethod is. as follows: Referring. to Fig. 2, which shows a diagram of the electromotiveforceot an alternating-current'waveand indicates the position of the brush 33 upon the-segments of: the-commutator 18 at, any moment duringthe rise and fall of such: elec: tromotiveforce, and; keeping in mind the diagram .of-

3,. we will suppose that the brushes start :in the position as shownin Fig. 3' that is, the brush 33 bearing uponthe :bar Bend the brush-34 bearing upon the segment 16 The; position of thebrush 33 inE-ig. 3 corresponds to the position D I in the di-a: gram of Fig. 2. It will now beseen thatif alternating electric current flows to the These cross The cell brushes 33 and 34: a'current will flow from the'brush 33 through the conductor-41 to the cell M and after passing through said cell flows through the conductor 36 to the brush 34 by means of the reversing commutatorsegment 16, as the brushes advance so as to bring the brush 33into contact with bar 0. It will be seen that we now have two cells, Maud N, incircuit, and at the same time, by referring again to' Fig. 2, it will be noticed that in position 0 the electromotive force of the current is approximately twice as great as in position D.v Similarly by continuing to revolve-the brushes in synchronism with the wave of alternating current the successive cells are cut into circuitastheelectromotive force increases until we reach theapezc oi the electromotive-force, corresponding.to-thie sitio-n Ain-Fzig. 2- andthe bar Adm Fig. 3. From this; poin:t on fora quarterwcycle the electromoti-ve-foiceofi1the-positi-vewaverisdw creasing, and at thesame 1 time. the-:cellsare progressivelycut out 'oficircnitin proportion to the diminishing electromotiveforce bythee passing of the brush 33 successively overithe opposite ends-ofthe barsB, O, and D umtil we reach the end of the bar D. Hereitem-ay be supposed that the electromotive forceplias dropped to two;v volts and -:thatif the; last :cell wereleft in circuit itawould' begin toad-is: charge itself; This-is prevented, however, bythe brush 33 coming in contact witlrstheinsulating-bar 19, whi-chabreaks, the; circuit during the time. the electromotive force-of the current: is below the givers limit; Thus. all the cells. are out'otcircuit until the B180:- tromotive force-hasfallens to .two vvoltsson the. negative curve.- At thlS='--'pOi-I:1il3"fl: change takes place, and the brush 34rno-w arestst upon the segment 15 of the reversing-commmtator, while-the brush 33: has; passed r130 the-bamG on the commutator 18. This re-verses the:batev tery connections, so that-the negative-wave 'passesthrough the-cells in thesame direc- Thecellsare:

'tion. asldid the positivewavet now, however, switchedinto circu-i-t'progressively in the reverse order to that immediately above describedthat is, the cell-1Q, which has not heretofore been:incircuit, is;the first to be out in, and by the progressivennoives ment of the brush 33 over the-bars:G,-H; L-, a.nd R the cellsP, O, and-N- are:successively-tout into circuit in the order named until the-apex of -the negative wave isT-reached; w-henc.e:.on;-.v

ward they are s u ccessively cut-out I of "circuit; ,in a manner similar tO'thffizllifihOVG described in connection with the cutting-in land-but 4.01:

thecells on the diminishing positive-waste.

'It will thus beseen that'rthe'cell =M-was first in circuit constantly during onerhal'f of azcycle and that-it was-then cut out ofi circuixtiand the: cell Q cutinto circuit during-approach mately the remaining half .oftheoyclm. Thus the cells. M and Q have been. in-lcircuitsfor approximately equal lengths of ,timeand'have received approximately equal charges, The.-

same may be said of the cells N, O, and 'P,

B..... iii N O n. it u or in. M N O P 15.....M N O Li. P (2 L... O P Q N O P Q N o P o,

11.... O P Q S S S S S It will thus be seen that during a complete cycle each cell is in circuit for the same length of time, and as the current is always in the same direction it follows that the cells mus be uniformly charged.

Fig. t shows a modification of the commutator shown and described in connection with Fig. 3. It is necessary that in the apparatus shown and described in Fig. 3 the commutator-brushes should rotate completely once with every cycle of alternating current passed through the battery. in the majority of in practice this would be too high speed, and therefore in Fig. shown a commuta- (or by which the same results will be produced when the cominutator-brushes rotate once for every two cycles of alternating current. This commutator, instead of having but one setof bars A B C D and G, H, L, and R, has two sets of bars A B C D and G H L R and A B C l) and G H L P! cross-connected with each other in substantially the same manner as shown in Fi 3, and in correspondence with this duplication of parts the commutator 18 the reversing commutatorsegments 15 and 16 are also duplicated, as

segments 15 and and 16: being suitably 1 by means of the respectively. The po- 33 and 3e and the operator is similar to that deti n with the commutator its the exception that the t once around the commu- 0 cycles of alternating cur- ;t will be noticed that the ed for supplying continuous or lighting and power, the storage in this case integrating and averaging the alternating current to a uniform electrcmotiye force.

ving fully desc ibed my invention, what m as and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. The nictn d of charging an accumulator composed a nrality of units, which con- .xnrough said accumulator a "roinotive force of which rises .eiles of waves, varying the units in circuit by cutting out of circuit in a prederder curing the rise and fall of one es, then varying the number and out of circuit in an order reverse to named order during the rise and a succeeding wave. jheinethod of char ing an accumulator coni iosed of a plurality of units, which cons nassing through said accumulator a L c ;rrent the electroniotive force of which rises 2 in a series of waves, varying the ier of sai units in circuit by cutting and out of circuit in a predeed orde during the rise and fall of one said waves, interrupting the iiow of said t thr ugh said accumulator during the v1 on its electromotive force is less than no electromotive force of one of said units, and then varying the number of said units in circui by cutting said units into and out of circuit in an order reverse to said first-named order during the rise and fall of the succeeding wave.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

isOYAL EJDYVAR BALL. ia itnessesz S. BELL,

W. H. TAYLOR. 

